Where does this essence go in my routine?

After toner and before serum, morning and evening, on damp skin. Anything thinner than an essence goes on before it, and anything richer goes on after. If you are adding it to a routine you already like, give it a week on its own first, so what you see is the Niacinamide and not three changes at once.

Is this the Korean-market essence or a US version?

The Korean-market one, Niacinamide and all. We match this essence to its Korean barcode before it reaches the shelf, which is the check that tells you which market release you are holding.

Does this essence contain fragrance?

Yes. The ingredient list names Fragrance, Limonene and Linalool. They sit on the panel printed on this page, so you can read the position for yourself before you buy. If fragrance components are something you avoid, this essence is not the one.

What else is on the list besides Niacinamide?

Adenosine, Gluconolactone and Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate. The order they are printed in on this essence's panel is the order on the box, so you can see where Niacinamide sits relative to them. Further down the same panel: Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Extract, Tocopherol and Isostearic Acid.

IOPE

Bio Conditioning Essence Foam 180ml

Name: IOPE Bio Conditioning Essence Foam 180ml
Brand: IOPE
SKU: 9930805246
Price: 42.5 USD
Availability: InStock

IOPE Bio Conditioning Essence Foam 180ml is a cleanser built around Niacinamide, named directly on its own Korean-market ingredient list rather than assumed from the product name.

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$42.50

180 ml

$23.61 per 100 ml

Korean-market formula
Ships from California or direct from Korea
Korean barcode and batch code intact

Suited to: Congested skinUneven textureSensitive skinDull, uneven tone

Helps with: Shoppers looking for Niacinamide in an essenceRoutines that want Niacinamide and Adenosine in one stepFilling the essence step with a Korean-market formulaAnyone who wants the Niacinamide essence sold on Korean shelves

One-time purchase

$42.50

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$38.25

In stock. Arrives in 3 to 7 business days

You’re $100.00 away from free US shipping.

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How it works

The Bio Conditioning Essence Foam is a 180ml essence, used after toner and before serum, morning and evening, on damp skin. The active it is built around is Niacinamide, named seventeenth on its own ingredient list. The same list carries Adenosine, Gluconolactone and Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate, so the active is not the only thing on it worth naming. How much of the Niacinamide stays on the skin, and for how long, is decided by the essence format rather than by the list alone. This is the Original Korean Formula, the essence IOPE sells in Korea, Niacinamide and all.

Key benefits

Niacinamide, the active this essence is built around
Adenosine on the same list, an active
Gluconolactone on the same list, an exfoliant
Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate and Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Extract on the same list, ferments
Tocopherol and Isostearic Acid further down the same list
Niacinamide named seventeenth on the manufacturer list printed on this page

Inside the formula

Ingredients declared

#13

Fragrance on the list

1 of 4

31 of 33 explained

Water solvent: Water is the base almost every serum, toner and cream is built on. It dissolves the water-loving ingredients and sets how light the finished texture feels. On an INCI list it is usually first, which only means it is the largest single ingredient by weight.
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate surfactant: Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate is a coconut-and-glycine surfactant used in low-pH cleansers. It foams well and rinses without the squeaky tightness a soap leaves.
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside surfactant: Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside is a sugar-derived cleansing surfactant. It foams modestly and is mild enough for low-pH cleansers built for reactive skin.
Cocamidopropyl Betaine surfactant: Cocamidopropyl Betaine is a coconut-derived secondary surfactant. Its job is to boost foam and soften the harshness of the main cleanser rather than to clean on its own.
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate surfactant: Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate is a very mild coconut-derived surfactant used in cleansers for reactive skin and around the eyes.
Acrylates/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Copolymer thickener: A thickener that responds to pH: it stays fluid while acidic and gels once neutralised. It is common in cleansers and clear gels.
1,2-Hexanediol humectant: 1,2-Hexanediol is a glycol used for two reasons: it holds water like glycerin, and it makes a formula harder for microbes to live in, so less traditional preservative is needed. Korean formulas use it heavily for that second reason.
Sodium Chloride thickener: Sodium Chloride is salt. In a cleanser it thickens the liquid; in a mask or essence it balances the mineral content of the water phase. It has no active role.
Pentylene Glycol humectant: Pentylene Glycol hydrates and, like the other longer-chain glycols, makes a formula less hospitable to microbes so the preservative system can be lighter. It also improves how evenly a product spreads.
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate surfactant: Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate is a mild coconut-derived surfactant known for a rich, creamy lather that rinses without tightness.
Polyglyceryl-6 Caprylate emulsifier: A polyglycerin emulsifier with a short fatty chain, which makes it more water-loving than its longer-chain relatives. It suits cleansing waters and micellar formulas.
Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate emulsifier: Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate is a mild sugar-derived solubiliser used to dissolve fragrance and oil into watery formulas.

19 more explained

Fragrance fragrance: Fragrance, or Parfum, is a single declaration standing for a whole scent blend, which can be dozens of materials. Regulators allow it as a trade secret, so a list showing only this word does not say what the scent is made of. It is the most common trigger named by people with reactive skin.
Isostearic Acid fatty acid: Isostearic Acid is a branched fatty acid, so unlike stearic acid it stays liquid. It conditions and helps disperse pigments.
Potassium Hydroxide pH adjuster: Potassium Hydroxide is a strong base used in traces to raise a formula to its target pH. In a soap-style cleanser it also converts fatty acids into the surfactant that does the cleansing.
Caprylyl Glycol preservative booster: Caprylyl Glycol is a glycol that conditions skin and, more importantly, strengthens a preservative system so less of the traditional preservative is needed. It appears in most modern formulas built without parabens.
Niacinamide active: Niacinamide is vitamin B3, and it is the most studied active in Korean formulation. It is used at roughly 2 to 5 percent for the look of uneven tone and visible pores, and it is water soluble, stable and comfortable beside almost every other active, which is why it turns up in so many lists.
Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate ferment: Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate is a brewers yeast ferment filtered clear. It supplies amino acids, B vitamins and sugars, and it is one of the ferments the Korean essence category was built on.
Sodium Metaphosphate chelator: A phosphate salt that ties up metal ions in water. It also stops the calcium and magnesium in hard water from flattening a cleanser foam.
Gluconolactone exfoliant: Gluconolactone is a PHA, the gentlest exfoliant class. Its molecule is too large to penetrate quickly, so it smooths the surface without the sting of an AHA, and it is a humectant at the same time.
Ethylhexylglycerin preservative booster: Ethylhexylglycerin softens skin and boosts a preservative system, which is why it is nearly always sitting beside phenoxyethanol or 1,2-hexanediol. It also cuts down the odour bacteria produce, so it turns up in deodorising products.
Sodium Benzoate preservative: Sodium Benzoate is a mild preservative that works only in acidic formulas. It is usually paired with potassium sorbate, and the pair is the standard choice where a brand wants no phenoxyethanol.
Adenosine active: Adenosine is a nucleoside that Korea's own cosmetic authority recognises as a wrinkle-care functional ingredient, which is why it appears on so many Korean lists at a low level. It is used for the look of fine lines and is stable and well tolerated.
Limonene fragrance component: Limonene is the citrus-peel aromatic. It appears here because EU labelling requires 26 fragrance components to be named individually rather than hidden inside "fragrance", and it is one of them.
Tetrasodium EDTA chelator: EDTA is a chelator: it locks up trace metal ions from water and packaging that would otherwise turn a formula cloudy, off-colour or rancid. It does nothing to skin and appears at a fraction of a percent.
Dextrin thickener: Dextrin is a starch fragment used to thicken and to give a formula a light, powdery finish. It is also a common carrier for powdered extracts.
Linalool fragrance component: Linalool is a floral aromatic found in lavender, bergamot and coriander. It is one of the 26 fragrance components EU labelling requires to be declared by name.
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Extract ferment: An extract of brewer's yeast, the same organism used to make bread and beer. It supplies amino acids, sugars and beta-glucan and is used as a conditioning ferment.
Propanediol humectant: Propanediol is a plant-derived glycol used in place of propylene glycol. It hydrates, carries actives into solution, and gives a lighter, less sticky slip than glycerin at the same strength.
Citric Acid pH adjuster: Citric Acid is used in tiny amounts to bring a formula to the pH its actives need, not as an exfoliant at that level. It is an AHA, so at much higher concentrations it can also exfoliate.
Tocopherol antioxidant: Tocopherol is vitamin E. It is an oil-soluble antioxidant that protects the oils in a formula from going rancid and works on skin as an emollient, and it is regularly paired with vitamin C because each keeps the other going for longer.

How to use

AM and PM, first step of the routine.
Work into a foam with damp hands.
Massage over the face for 30 to 60 seconds.
Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.

Worth knowing

Patch test this essence on a small area and wait a day before using it more widely, especially with Niacinamide on the list.
This list names Fragrance, Limonene and Linalool, so skip it if fragrance components are something you avoid.
Citric Acid and Gluconolactone on this list makes this essence an exfoliating step, so do not stack it with another one on the same night.

Complete the routine

This itemIOPE Bio Conditioning Essence Foam 180ml$42.50
Seal the routine in as the last stepIOPE SUPER VITAL EMULSION 150ml$87.50
The treatment step of this routineIOPE RETINOL RETI-JECTION SERUM 30ml$100.00

Total for 3 items$230.00

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IOPE Bio Conditioning Essence Foam 180ml

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IOPE, Korean-market original

The Original Korean Formula essence from IOPE, 180ml formulated with Niacinamide and Adenosine, shipped from California or direct from Korea.

Verify your unit when it arrives

Korean-market stock with the original barcode and batch code intact, exactly as it left Korea.

On the unit itself

The Korean-market barcode, unaltered from the retail package.
The manufacturer’s batch code, exactly as the maker printed it.

정품Genuine article, Korean-market stock

What professionals say

What skin-care professionals say about skin care, quoted from the medical sources linked beside each.

Your skin barrier is basically your outer layer of the skin.
Melissa Piliang, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic
Pretty much every step of a Korean skin care routine is going to have some component of hydration.
Alok Vij, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic